Low potassium slows smooth muscle activity in the gut, leading to constipation, and destabilizes cardiac repolarization, increasing risk of palpitations and dangerous arrhythmias in susceptible patients. This medication is commonly used for Inflammation.
Guideline and textbook sources emphasize constipation and arrhythmias as clinically significant sequelae of hypokalemia, especially at lower serum levels or in patients with underlying heart disease.
Cleveland Clinic. Low potassium level (hypokalemia): causes and symptoms. 2023.; Johnson Memorial Health. Low potassium (hypokalemia). 2022.
Some side effects may be linked to nutrient depletion caused by this medication.
Research has found that corticosteroids increased chromium excretion in patients after just three days. Chromium is an essential mineral that helps regulate blood sugar levels. This is important because corticosteroids themselves can raise blood sugar, contributing to diabetes. Evidence suggests that chromium supplementation improved fasting blood glucose levels in patients with steroid-induced diabetes.
Maintaining healthy potassium levels is important when taking corticosteroids. These medications can increase the amount of potassium the body loses through urine. Potassium is a vital mineral that helps muscles and nerves function properly. While short-term use of corticosteroids might not cause significant problems, studies suggest that with prolonged treatment, the body's ability to maintain proper potassium balance (homeostasis) can be affected.
Corticosteroids can lower calcium levels in the body. This is a double threat to bone health because corticosteroids themselves can weaken bones. Calcium is essential for strong bones, and a study showed that supplementing with both calcium and vitamin D3 helped prevent bone loss in people with rheumatoid arthritis taking corticosteroids. Supplementation with calcium should be considered during long term corticosteroid therapy.
Corticosteroids can increase the urinary loss of selenium elevating the risk for deficient levels. Selenium is a mineral that acts as an antioxidant, helping protect cells from damage. Studies have shown that rheumatoid arthritis patients taking high doses of corticosteroids tend to have lower selenium levels. This is concerning because low selenium intake is linked to osteoporosis, and selenium has been shown to play a role in bone protection in animal models of corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis. Supplementation with selenium should be considered during long term corticosteroid therapy.
Corticosteroids can increase the body's excretion of magnesium, potentially leading to a deficiency. This is concerning because magnesium plays a vital role in many bodily functions, including muscle and nerve function. Research suggests that magnesium supplementation alleviated corticosteroid therapy associated muscle atrophy. Supplementation with magnesium should be considered during long term corticosteroid therapy.
Research suggests corticosteroids can lower vitamin D levels in the body by increasing its breakdown. This is a concern because vitamin D plays a crucial role in bone health and the immune system, and corticosteroids themselves can weaken bones. A study found that calcium and vitamin D3 supplements helped prevent bone loss in the lower back (lumbar spine) and hip (trochanter) for people with rheumatoid arthritis who were on low-dose corticosteroids. Evidence suggests vitamin D may work synergistically together with corticosteroids to improve asthma treatment by boosting the effectiveness of corticosteroids or by overcoming resistance to these medications in some patients.